Kazi Nazrul Islam is the National Poet of Bangladesh. As a poet of the nation of Muslim, Hindu, Bouddha, Christian and other communities, in his writings misrepresents the sentiments of all religions. He says he has his faith in Islam and it is firm in the heart of his heart. As a writer he upholds the sentiment of all. He condemns a Muslim if he/she violates the order of Allah and commits a crime against Allah and His creation. Kazi Nazrul Islam is taken as the Great Rebel Poet against all injustice to the suffering humanity. The oppression and exploitation of the people by the wealthy and the mischief mongers are subjects of his poems.
Religion plays an important part in the life of human being. This way or that every one is religious in his own way. Allah, the Creator of human beings prescribes Islam as the religion for all since Adam, (As), the Prophet from the very beginning of the creation. Islam relates to one’s complete submission to the order or Will of Allah. A person is a Muslim when he/she submits to the Will of Allah and none but Allah. The earth and the heaven all follow the order of Allah. Man holds the position of the Vice-gerent of Allah. Allah also created ‘Satan’ to test mankind who follow the right track. He has sent the Prophets of Islam to the people from among mankind for guidance. The final and the greatest Prophet is Hazrat Muhammad (Sm), whose mission of welfare and peace was universal and eternal. The Holy Quran is the scripture of ‘guidance’ and code of life for mankind. But if a person works on the influence of Satan and goes out of the right track as shown by the Prophet of Allah and leads a life of whims and caprices and sets rules of conduct as these suit him/her-these become Satanic. These persons are generally found that they belong either to the top in the society or to groups who are powerful and rich and have the power to set things as they like. Ferawn, king of Egypt denied the orders of Allah, disobeyed Him and was drawned at last. In the words of in the society Nazrul “Musa crossed (the river), Ferawn did not return from the river Nile.” In this article the name of Hazrat Ibrahim (As), the Prophet of Allah is introduced after Adam (As) for the rule of Allah and also for setting forth the Holy Ka’ba in the present Makka (Mecca) which Adam (As) initiated. In the Bible, Ibrahim is considered as the descendant of Shem and son of Terah, who became the ancestor of the Hebrew and other nations (Gnxvii. 5). Ibrahim lived a life of unique faith and was known as ‘Ibrahim Khalilullah’-‘the Friend of Allah.’ He was born in Ur of the Chaldees near Babylon in Iraq. The details of Ibrahim (As) is available in the Holy Quran. In Sura Baqara the following information is available. Allah, the Greatest says to the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) :
“And remember that Ibrahim was tried by his Lord with certain Commands, (Kalimat or Allah’s Will or Decree or Purpose) which he fulfilled. He said: I will make thee an Imam to the Nations.’ He pleaded: And also(Imam) from my offspring! He answered: ‘But my Promise is not within the reach of the evil doers.” (Verse 124)
(Imam-Leader in religion, Model, pattern, example ot a book of evidence or record(xxxvi. 12) Here it applies as the Leader in religion, a model, pattern, example).
“Remember We made the House (the Ka’ba. The House of Allah), a place of assembly for men and a place of safety; And take ye the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer; and We covenanted with Ibrahim and Ismail, that they should sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or use it as a retreat or bow or prostrate themselves ( therein prayer). (Verse 125)
“And remember Ibrahim said: ” My Lord, make this a City of Peace and feed its people with fruits, —- such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day”. He said: ” (Yea), and such as Reject Faith ,— for a while, Will I grant their plessure, But will soon drive them to the torment of Fire, — An evil destination (indeed)!” (Verse 126)
“And remember Ibrahim and Ismail raised the foundations of the House (with this prayer): ” Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing , The All Knowing. (Verse 127)
Our Lord! Make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will); and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy (Will); and show us our places for celebrations of (due) rites; For Thou art the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful!” (Verse 128)
“Our Lord! Send amongst them an Apostle of their own, Who Shall rehearse Thy signs to them and instruct them in Scripture and wisdom, And sanctify them : For Thou art the Exalted in Might, The Wise.” (Verse 129)
“And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim but such as debase their souls with folly ? Him We chose and rendered pure in this world. : And he will be in the Hereafter in the ranks of the Righteous.” (Verse 130)
“Behold ! his Lord said to him : ‘ Bow (thy will to Me):’ He said: I bow (my will) to Thee Lord and the Cherisher of the Universe.” (Verse 131)
“And this was the legacy that Ibrahim left to his sons, And so did Yaqub; ‘ Oh my sons! Allah hath chosen The Faith for you; then die not Except in the Faith.” (Verse 132)
Allah has made the Holy Ka’ba as the place for guidance and necessary instruction.
Allah says ” From whencesoever thou startest forth turn thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque; That is indeed the truth from thy Lord. And Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.” (Sura Baqara, Verse 149)
In the preceding Ayat 148, Allah says,” To each is a goal to which Allah turns him; Then strive together (as in a race) towards all that is good. Wheresoever ye are, Allah will bring you together. For Allah hath power over all things.” (Verse 148)
Ka’ba is a symbol of Oneness of Allah; And all our activities must have Allah as the center. There is thus no scope of leading a corrupt individual or collective worldly life. One must follow the basic principles of Islam.
Hajj is a must for those who have capability of wealth to visit Makka and the Holy Ka’ba. It is held that Hazrat Adam (As) had laid the foundation and built the Ka’ba initially as a mosque for prayer. And it was rebuilt by Hazrat Ibrahim (As) and his son Hazrat Isma’il (As).
Ka’ba, the holiest of all mosques stands as the symbol of unity of Muslims all over the world. Allah has changed the qiblah or the focal direction towards Ka’ba for prayer. Muslims from all over the world turn their faces toward Ka’ba for performing five time prayer. Whoever visits Ka’ba with a sincere heart, is protected by Allah.
Ka’ba stands for equality. The king, the rich, the poor are all equal in the eyes of Allah. To Allah, he or she is the best who is the best in his/her performance as directed by Allah through His Prophet (Sm). In the Holy Quran he/she has been mentioned as having Taqwa, i.e., he/she is a Muttaqi.
There is no scope for being aloof from other members of the community. One cannot remain indifferent to the misfortunes of his fellow members of the community. It is essential for each Muslim to remain steadfast in the service of his fellow brethren in the society. A Muslim is bound to do good work if he desires to get mercy of Allah. He should not avoid it. Allah ties the Muslims into brotherhood and one is a part of the other as a body. The Quran has also stressed on the solidarity and unity of mankind and Muslims have also to contribute to that cherished goal. But the Muslims in the present day world are far from this glorious ideal. Muslims are killed by Muslims. Those who are engaged in killing their brothers for sectarian difference, are, knowingly or unknowingly, tools in the hands of the enemies of Islam and Muslim. In the Middle East there had been killings of Muslims by the Muslims or by non-Muslims. The superpowers including Israel let loose a reign of terror and innocent people, men, women and children are being killed bratally.
The British in India killed Muslims when they revolted against them. Nazrul in his works condemned the British and the people who initiated communal violence in Bengal and India. Nazrul mentioned in his writings how innocent Muslims were killed by Israel and the British soldiers.
Nazrul condemned people who made a showdown of their richness and pride while performing the Qurbani or sacrifice. The poet seriously reacted to this false play by a section of Muslims. These have no real worth and are fake. In his poem, ‘The Martyr’s Eid’ Nazrul says :
“The Martyr’s Eid has come today,
On the martyr’s head rests his blood stained cap
In the name of God he begs of us all;
Make your offerings of God
Who is more dear to you than your most
Precious jewellery.
I want no false pearls,
No cheap trickery.
I want no cow, no lamb, no camel
What after all, do such gifts mean?
They are petty sand false.
I want true Qurbani,
I do not want any hypocritical offerings.
What is needed to uphold Islam’s prestige
Is your life and life of your son
Can you offer these?
Is there anywhere a true Muslim?
You treacherous rogue!
Don’t you know that God is all powerful,
That he sees through all your mechinations?
You fool, do you want to trick God
With your false trappings.?
And then comes the sharp whipping comments of Nazrul against those who are fake and hypocrite:
Money and wealth you can amass with great diligence
But when you are asked to make a sacrifice
You cringe and look pale
What price your prayers then?
You have gorged your food like pigs.
Rather put to death the beasts that lurk in the heart
It will give a respite to the animals,
And will be a noble deed on your part.”
(Tranlation: Kabir Chowdhury)
Kazi Nazrul Islam’s concern for the poor speaks of his deep attachment with Islam. Islam always hold mankind as the supermost being created by Allah. All are equal in the eyes of Allah. There is no distinction between man and man, caste and creed, rich and poor. Rich has the utmost duty to help develop the poor and the unfed. In a poem the poet says:
“I sing of equality
There is nothing greater than a human being,
Nothing nobler!
Caste and creed, religion – there is no difference.
We are all a manifestations
Of our common humanity.” (Tr. Sajed Kamal)
Nazrul has tremendous and deep love for Hazrat Muhammad (Sm) as he brought the brightest era of light in the annals of humanity and civilization. Nazrul was bold to condemn the so-called religious people who talked about Islam and the Quran but did not follow the Quran and the Traditions of the Prophet (Sm) and cheated people showing their religiosity. Nazrul highlighted and upheld Martyrdom-sacrifice. He says:
“You are very gorgeous in your fasting and prayer
And upon uttering some mystic hocus pocus
Have turned you a joker,
And you have no sacrifice even meager!
But pile up your wealth larger and larger
When asked to sacrifice, you shrink,
What is the worth of your prayer.”
(Shahidi Eid : Tr. Sajed Kamal)
Kazi Nazrul Islam came out with a sharp criticism against all those who had used religion for their own selfish ends. These people are far from any sacrifice of life or wealth and are against the ideals of Islam and welfare of the people in deprivation, suppression and distress. Such people have no right to speak of religion, be he/she is a Muslim, Hindu or a Christian.
“Who are they —hating human beings
Yet kissing the Quran, the Vedas and the Bible?
Snatch those books from them.
The hypocrites pretend worshipping those books
By killing the human beings.”
(Samyabadi : Manush, Tr. Sajed Kamal)
Kazi Nazrul Islam, the poet of mankind, says that these false religious leaders exploit people and destroy their lives. The greatest Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Sm) demonstrated humanistic viewpoint and humanitarian ideals of Islam. He was always a help to the poor and the down-trodden. He upheld the rights of the needy and the poor. He said, ” All the creatures of Allah are his family, and he/she is the most beloved of Allah who does most good to His creatures.”
Kazi Nazrul Islam clearly stated in his poem that when one sacrifices the animal one sacrifices the animality in him. In ‘Qurbani’ (Sacrifice) Nazrul says: ” You slaughter your son”, the saying that came from Allah: ” Behold, This is no killing today, it is a kind of a big test for the Truth to prevail. You are to show down your strength! Nazrul takes Qurbani or sacrifice of animal as the utmost destruction of one’s evil spirit. He said, ‘Moner poshure kor jobai’-‘kill the beast in mind.’
The spirit of Qurbani is also that the persons who sacrified lives to profect Truth, self identity and dear motherland in the field of war against all inhuman aggression and oppression are ‘martyrs’. Qurbani brings to the Muslims that spirit of ‘martyrdom’ and the Eid-ul-Azha is thus ‘Shahidi Eid’-‘the Martyr’s Eid’.
Kazi Nazrul Islam calls a clarion :
“On the martyr’s Eidgah this day
Look at the huge congregation gay!
In the world at large, I say,
The Islami despensation will prevail!
(Tr. Mizanur Rahman (late)
(The writer was formerly a Visiting Scholar, Divinity School, Harvard University and presently Pro-Vice Chancellor, Northern University, Bangladesh.)
